In the 2017-2018 off-season, the Marlins traded away most of their valuable players. The only one left – Realmuto – is the only Fish receiving any media attention.
So, any of the free agents from the Marlins are incredibly under-the-radar. And, one of them is Derek Dietrich. He’s a 29-year-old utility player who is primarily an outfielder. In 2018, on one of the worst teams in the MLB, he batted .265/.330/.421 with 16 home runs, 26 doubles, and 45 RBI.
On the 2018 Marlins squad, only three daily players had better batting averages than Dietrich: Starlin Castro, Realmuto, and Brian Anderson. Only Realmuto hit more home runs.
Dietrich has only played for the Marlins. His left-field free-agent competition includes players with more clout – like Michael Brantley, Marwin Gonzalez, and Cameron Maybin. The 2018 Marlins got a raw deal with all of the previous off-season trades and it would be nice to see some of the remainders find a new home where they can excel.
Dietrich has not won any awards or received any notable recognition. But, in 2016, on a team that included players like Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, and Dee Gordon, he led the NL in being hit by pitch. The outfielder was drilled 24 times that season. In 2018, pitchers hit him 21 times.
Whatever team does sign him will have to work on reducing his strikeouts. In 2018, he K’d 140 times, which is his career-high. He never had more than 98 in his previous seasons.